We were lucky to catch up with Peggy White recently and have shared our conversation below.

Peggy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Black women make up the largest college educated group in the US. Black female business owners are also the fastest growing business demographic; yet because of misogynoir, Black women are often overlooked for professional and educational opportunities.
Black women are less likely to receive capital for their businesses than their white counterparts. Additionally, many Black women are supporting their families and loved ones while working, going to school and serving in religious institutions. Yet Black women have difficulty finding the emotional support and mentorship needed to succeed in professional settings.

Unfortunately, Black women continue to experience significant health disparities relative to other US women including shorter life expectancies and higher rates of maternal mortality and are disproportionately burdened by chronic conditions such as anemia, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity. These poor health outcomes reflect the inequities that Black women continue to experience within and outside of the healthcare system. Poor health outcomes are also a reflection of the impacts of institution and individual forms of racism and discrimination. For health equity to be achieved, social and economic equity must also be achieved.

OMG W.O.W. (OMG Women Outreaching Women) is 501c3 non-profit organization and a community, where Black women are inspired to share their stories and launch their entrepreneurial dreams. OMG WOW does this through educational workshops, mentorship, in both group and individual settings. OMG WOW helps Black women discover ways to improve finances, relationships, entrepreneurship, spirituality, and health. By putting God first in all that we do we are able to provide a place for Black women to receive support to bridge the equity gap.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Peggy White is the Founder and CEO of OMG Women Outreaching Women (OMG W.O.W.) 501c3 Non-Profit organization that provides support to Black women through education, coaching and mentorship. Peggy, born the oldest of three in Hammond, Indiana, developed leadership skills and a passion for helping others. Very comfortable with her ability to lead others Peggy continued to take on leadership roles throughout her adolescent years, being her high schools first female drum major. Peggy went on to obtain a BS from Indiana University in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and Communications.

Peggy has used her education, leadership skills and passion for supporting others throughout her 30+ years career. Peggy’s career includes 20 years of working with nonprofit organizations including being the Co-Director of The San Fernando Valley Jaguars. The San Fernando Valley Jaguars is a 501c3 after school program started by Peggy and her husband in 2002, supporting youth sports. Throughout her career, Peggy has gained experience in and has focused on strategic issues in business in multiple industries including but not limited to banking, traveling, manufacturer advertising and pharmaceuticals. Peggy has displayed her ability to provide leadership, support others ad reach company goals for companies such as Pitney Bowes Corporation, Wells Fargo, Harte Hanke Publishing, Lily Pharmaceuticals and now OMG W.O.W.

Peggy has an undeniable presence in the community helping friends, family and business associates. Her passion for educating and supporting others to accomplish their goals led to her starting OMG Consulting Group, which offers career counseling and development services. Peggy’s ability to be a team builder and develop supportive relationships are just 2 of the skills she brings to OMG W.O.W. Her determination to help others shows in the organizations she has pioneered. Peggy believes that her journey to entrepreneurship is both different and improbable one. Peggy attributes her success to the power and will of God guiding her to live in her life purpose.

Personal Bio

For more than 30 years, I forged a career in corporate America, working for Fortune 500 companies across travel, manufacturing, banking, advertising, and pharmaceutical industries.

My vision for OMG W.O.W. was realized the day I was forced out of my vehicle, surrounded by LAPD officers, and made to stare down the barrel of an officer’s gun in a case of mistaken identity.

I felt powerless as six patrol cars surrounded me, and I knew that to them my life was meaningless. They didn’t care that I had degrees, a powerful job, or that I had a child. They saw a Black woman – someone who was easily dispensable.

Through the grace of God, I raised my hands above my head and stayed in control, not allowing those officers to know the rage, fear and turmoil I felt inside.

And God still moves me today in my mission to create a safe space where Black women can rise to success with the support of a community of like-minded women and mentors that have beat the odds.
This is why I started OMG W.O.W.

Description
OMG W.O.W. (OMG Women Outreaching Women) is 501c3 non-profit organization and a community, where Black women are inspired to share their stories and launch their entrepreneurial dreams. OMG WOW does this through educational workshops, mentorship, in both group and individual settings. OMG WOW helps Black women discover ways to improve finances, relationships, entrepreneurship, spirituality, and health. By putting God first in all that we do we are able to provide a place for Black women to receive support to bridge the equity gap.

Mission
OMG WOW’s mission is to provide Black women 18 years and older the education and support needed to reach their highest potential. By providing black women with education, mentorship and resources in the following five areas: finances, relationships, entrepreneurship/professional development, spirituality, and health. Our mission is to support Black women in reaching their highest potential, while bridging the equity gap.

Vision
Our vision at OMG WOW is to provide Black women a space within the community to connect with other Black professional women to receive support for growth in the most pivotal areas of their lives. By providing education, mentorship, and resources to one another in finances, relationship, entrepreneurship, spirituality, and health, we provide opportunities for growth, therefore bridging the equity gap.

OMG W.O.W. is dedicated to closing the wealth gap in diverse communities by enabling Black women 18 years and older to achieve financial independence. OMG W.O.W. services, programs and experiences inspire breakthroughs in the following five pillars:

Finance
Relationships
Entrepreneurship
Spirituality
Health & Wellness
Key Impact Areas
At OMG W.O.W., Black Women learn and develop at their own pace. The faith-based program provides essential opportunities for Black women by mentoring them toward better health, higher pay and more freedom. Key impact areas for the organization include:

Increasing the number of Black-owned, woman-owned businesses
Enabling financially independent women
Decreasing unemployment
Overcoming hunger and poverty
Improving scholastic development
Eliminating the wealth gap
Improving health disparities; and
Enriching diverse communities

How We’ll Get There
OMG W.O.W. will collaborate with other organizations to garner legislative support within all levels of government and businesses for programs and processes that support the strengthening of Black families and communities.

OMG W.O.W. recognizes the importance of fostering a culture of hope and sees it as a powerful vision for the future. We acknowledge that achieving true cultural transformation may take many years due to persistent racial barriers. However, we are committed to taking action immediately.

Our goal is to cultivate a global community that is dedicated to creating effective and sustainable programs for at-risk populations while respecting their fundamental rights. We commit to leveraging our diverse skill sets and utilizing our grassroots network, education, policy expertise, and partnerships with other organizations to achieve this objective. OMG W.O.W. invests its energy, resources and aspirations in advancing a culture of hope and revitalization for the enrichment of Black women and their families.

How will the target community benefit from the F.R.E.S.H. project?
OMG W.O.W. is a new and dynamic program. Led by a Black woman, for Black women, the program offers a safe space to level the playing field and give historically excluded populations a better chance for success. Bridging the equity gap, helps the economy thrive as Black women become fully able to participate in, and contribute to, the workforce.

Black women are historically challenged in the areas of finance, relationships, entrepreneurship, spirituality, and health. OMG W.O.W. works to topple the blockades that cause our sisters to stumble and struggle in these areas with an innovative, educational mentorship solution called The FRESH Approach. Leveraging the talents of exceptional thought leaders, our F.R.E.S.H. Approach program is an economic incubator that guides Black women through an innovative curriculum that strengthens their grasp in these five areas. Our program empowers participants with the tools they need to crush generational challenges that impede their progress.

OMG WOW’s F.R.E.S.H. Approach program will pave the way for each mentee’s incredible journey to a higher, God-given level of success, with support from five exceptional experts: Jacqueline Childress-Mitchell, Cherrie Phillips, Peggy White, Wendy Childress and Deneen Denham.

Our focused approach includes mentoring and skilling individuals for careers and entrepreneurship opportunities, not jobs, that offer career pathways and have high growth potential. It also involves ending the cycle of poverty for families by ensuring individuals passing through the programs and services are no longer employed in poverty work.

OMG W.O.W. program seeks to dismantle the systemic barriers that have prevented underrepresented and historically excluded Black women from accessing economic opportunities that others take for granted.

OMG W.O.W. helps Black women entrepreneurs start or stay in/expand their businesses and empowers them through expert coaching, one-on-one mentoring, and education through online classes/e-courses, removing barriers to success. It also provides the skills, experience, and connections necessary to be successful in business and increase financial security.

OMG W.O.W. also provides individualized services in career counseling and business development. Career Counseling includes workshops and coaching on dressing for business success, mock interviewing, resume creation, job search, following up and writing thank you letters, and more. Business development includes strategies to operationalize and grow a business; how to target opportunities and acquire new customers; and time management, scheduling, and other day-to-day best operational practices. A monthly newsletter and additional resources are also available to all participants.

We will work intensively with clients who need specialized mentoring, skills, and opportunities to help them overcome the barriers that have prevented them from obtaining economic independence. These proof points are sobering and a constant reminder that the road to independence for Black women can be arduous, unsteady, and limiting. However, it does not have to be that way; Black women can win. We can build generational wealth, experience loving, fruitful, long-term partnerships, and enjoy rich, healthy, amazing lives.

curriculum that strengthens their grasp in these five areas. Our program empowers participants with the tools they need to crush generational challenges that impede their progress.

OMG WOW’s F.R.E.S.H. Approach program will pave the way for each mentee’s incredible journey to a higher, God-given level of success, with support from five exceptional experts: Jacqueline Childress-Mitchell, Cherrie Phillips, Peggy White, Wendy Childress and Deneen Denham.

Our focused approach includes mentoring and skilling individuals for careers and entrepreneurship opportunities, not jobs, that offer career pathways and have high growth potential. It also involves ending the cycle of poverty for families by ensuring individuals passing through the programs and services are no longer employed in poverty work.

OMG W.O.W. program seeks to dismantle the systemic barriers that have prevented underrepresented and historically excluded Black women from accessing economic opportunities that others take for granted.

OMG W.O.W. helps Black women entrepreneurs start or stay in/expand their businesses and empowers them through expert coaching, one-on-one mentoring, and education through online classes/e-courses, removing barriers to success. It also provides the skills, experience, and connections necessary to be successful in business and increase financial security.

OMG W.O.W. also provides individualized services in career counseling and business development. Career Counseling includes workshops and coaching on dressing for business success, mock interviewing, resume creation, job search, following up and writing thank you letters, and more. Business development includes strategies to operationalize and grow a business; how to target opportunities and acquire new customers; and time management, scheduling, and other day-to-day best operational practices. A monthly newsletter and additional resources are also available to all participants.

We will work intensively with clients who need specialized mentoring, skills, and opportunities to help them overcome the barriers that have prevented them from obtaining economic independence. These proof points are sobering and a constant reminder that the road to independence for Black women can be arduous, unsteady, and limiting. However, it does not have to be that way; Black women can win. We can build generational wealth, experience loving, fruitful, long-term partnerships, and enjoy rich, healthy, amazing lives.

I am most excited about the launch of our F.R.E.S.H. Approach program which is an economic incubator that guides Black women through an innovative curriculum, that strengthens their grasp in these five areas, by empowering participants with the tools they need to crush generational challenges that impede their progress.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

OMG W.O.W. uses a variety of methods to find participants and attract members to their F.R.E.S.H. Community.

1. Social Media – OMG W.O.W. established a presence on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn establishing a brand and consistently engaging with our audiences. We provide information, make announcements about our upcoming events and masterclass, share information about our mission, provide education on the topics of Finance, Relationships, Entreprenuership, Spirituality, and Health, and review events,

2. Email Newsletters- OMG W.O.W. emails newsletters to share updates, resources, and opportunities with its community. Individuals can sign up for the newsletter through our website or on our social media sites.

3. OMG W.O.W. F.R.E.S.H. Network – Is a membership platform housed on Mighty Networks. Participants who join the community can get information and education in our specific areas of focus which are Finance, Relationships, Entrepreneurship, Spirituality, and Health. It provides members with a space where they can go to meet and commune with other members, to share ideas and support each other. The community provides information on our upcoming events including weekly educational groups, quarterly round tables, business masterclasses, group chats, blogs and so much more.

3. OMG W.O.W. Events and workshops- Are designed to support our participants and provide networking opportunities. These events are a wonderful way for us to connect with potential clients or participants.

4. Referrals and word of mouth: Existing clients or members of an organization may refer others to our program who could benefit from our services or share information about our organization with their networks.

5. OMG W.O.W. Partnerships- Partnerships with other organizations such as the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of commerce, businesses, churches, Black women empowerment organizations, and other local community groups have proven to be effective in reaching a wider audience and have been useful in acquiring additional resources to provide to our participants and members.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

According to the 2018 State of Black Women in California report, Black Women are more likely than any other race to be single breadwinners; live in poverty; face significant barriers regarding pathways to success economically, socially, and professionally; and have the highest death rates from preventable diseases.

OMG W.O.W.’s programs seek to dismantle the systemic barriers that have prevented underrepresented and historically excluded Black women from accessing economic opportunities that others take for granted.

OMG W.OW.’s strategy is to support Black women entrepreneurs to start or stay in/expand their businesses and empower them through expert coaching, one-one-one mentoring, and education through online classes/e-courses, removing barriers to their success. Our program provides the skills, experience, and connections necessary to be successful in business and increase financial security.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.omgwowhq.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omgwowhq/?hl=en-gb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OMGWOWhq
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71574426/admin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/home
• Youtube: omgwowhq
• Other: OMG W.O.W. F.R.E.S.H. Network: https://freshnetwork.mn.co/feed